


A Looming Threat On Cape Caem

by PrettyPrompto



Series: Looming Threat [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: But NO funny Business, M/M, Omegaverse, Promptis Main
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:24:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22827253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyPrompto/pseuds/PrettyPrompto
Summary: On an idyllic morning it all goes to hell.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Series: Looming Threat [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1641079
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	A Looming Threat On Cape Caem

Dawn was breaking, and as the sun rose, its rays filtered through the clouds and shone down upon the house on Cape Caem.

Inside, Ignis was working in the kitchen to make breakfast for the household, smiling as he listened to the sound of the children chattering and playing in the living room.

Princess Aurora was sitting apart from her brothers, humming to herself as she arranged items on the floor in front of her. Ignis noticed as he came out of the kitchen, and once he had set the platter of food down onto the table, he headed over to her.

“Good morning Aurora, I see you’re planning something today.”

Aurora looked up to Ignis with a bright smile and nodded happily.

“Yeah! I want to play with Mama and make him look pretty for Daddy today!”

Ignis smiled at the little girl’s exuberance and knelt beside her to examine the items she had laid out on the floor. He reached out and picked up a bottle of Chocobo Yellow nail polish, looking it over with exaggerated focus and then rolling it between his hands to mix it as he’d learned to do over the years living with the princess. Aurora’s eyes brightened and she seemed to be very pleased he had remembered the proper way to mix nail polish. As if he would have forgotten - shaking it could result in air bubbles that would ruin the final look, after all. Ignis stopped mixing the polish and carefully put it back where he’d gotten it, saying as he stood the bottle on the floor, “I am sure he’ll be stunning once you’ve put your talents to use. Why don’t you come and eat breakfast first. You need your strength, after all. A Master cannot create art on an empty stomach.“

Aurora nodded happily in agreement and climbed to her feet, reaching to grab Ignis’ hand. He closed it down gently around hers as he called to the group of young boys a few feet away.

"Boys, breakfast is ready. Come and eat before it grows cold. Then you may continue your game.”

There was a bit of grumbling mixed with agreement as the four got up and Ignis and Aurora joined them as they all went to the dining room table and took their seats. Ignis quickly filled the children’s plates from the platter and then took it back to the kitchen.

Upstairs, Prompto began to stir, making soft sounds in his sleep as he rolled over toward Noctis. He reached out for his husband out of familiar habit, hitting Noctis in the ribs with his knuckles and then sliding his hand up and across his chest while he snuggled closer to his side. Prompto often could not fall asleep unless he was in this very position, though he often would roll away during the night. If he was having nightmares, he would all but completely climb atop Noctis and wrap his legs around his waist, clinging to him tightly even after he was long asleep. As of late, however, he had been having a lot of good nights, waking well rested and with the sunny disposition he was well known for.

Prompto’s eyes finally cracked open and he smiled sleepily, moving his hand along Noct’s chest as he lifted his head. He sat up and yawned, blinking a few times and glancing at the clock briefly before he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Then he went about his usual morning routine, getting clothes out of the shared dresser and pulling them on. It was one of his workout days and so he headed downstairs in a pair of loose pants and an old tank top, grinning at the children’s various calls of “Mama!” He raised a hand to them as he approached the table and then went from one to the next, kissing them on top of the head and saying good morning to each one personally.

Kiss. “Good morning, Cyrus.”

Kiss. “Good morning, Tobias.”

Kiss. “Good morning, Oliver.”

Kiss. “Good morning, Crocus.”

Then he came to Aurora’s seat and he paused, feigning ignorance and purposely avoiding looking at her. He turned his attention to Ignis and said, “Now that I’m done greeting every single one of my babies, I think I’ll go for a run on the beach!”

Aurora wasted no time in retaliating and Prompto grunted instantly as the little girl’s fist came up to jab into his stomach. His eyes met hers as he lifted his hand to his abs, rubbing the spot where she had hit him. Her pout and glare finally broke him and he reached for her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head, then her face as she squirmed and giggled.

“Good morning Aurora, Princess of Lucis and mighty Warrior Queen! That was a good one! Have to keep you away from Gladio from now on. Learning too much.”

He released her and moved to grab a glass of juice. Aurora climbed up onto her knees in her seat to twist around to face him, speaking to him with enthusiasm. Ignis eyed her improper chair usage with a keen eye but remained silent.

“Mama, can I paint your nails today? And put on make-up? I want to make you pretty for Daddy!”

Prompto grinned and nodded, replying cheerily.

“Well of course you can! I don’t have to do any hunts or anything today, so that sounds like a plan! Gotta go run first though, ok?”

She nodded quickly but then asked.

“Can I come too?”

Prompto stopped short as he began to turn for the door and he seemed surprised, then thoughtful for a beat as he worked it out in his head. Then he nodded his permission and said, “Yeah ok… I don’t see why not. You can play at the shore and collect some new rocks and shells while I run down and back, alright? But only if you promise not to go in the water.”

Aurora nodded and Prompto gestured toward the front door, saying, “Get your feet on then.”

She was already sliding off her chair seat as he lifted his hand and went running to get her shoes from the line of them against the wall.

Prompto turned to look at Ignis.

“Should be back in a half hour or so.”

While Ignis nodded, Prompto waited by the door as Aurora finished tying her shoes.

When she was ready, the pair headed outside and around the back of the house, following the wooden walk that meandered down conveniently to the beach below. Prompto smiled as Aurora ran ahead, her footsteps thunking on the wood rapidly. He called out in a chastising tone.

“Hey … not too fast, be careful. I don’t want you to trip - Iggy would be very upset with us.”

Aurora slowed down a little but was far too excited and happy with the outing to fully obey him. He let it go, not interested in playing the role of ‘Buzzkill Mama’ today, and besides, the odds of her getting hurt were probably less than Ignis would most likely try to argue.

He continued to follow her along the wooden pathway, chuckling when she reached the end and leapt off with a happy shout to plant both feet in the sand, sending up a spray of the grains. He stepped off the end much more sedately than she had and grinned, meeting her eyes. Then, taking her hand, he headed for the water’s edge. Once they stood at the line of dark sand he released his hold, looking down at the scattered rocks, seashells and occasional piece of beach glass that decorated the shore. He turned to Aurora then, waiting until she noticed, then he spoke.

“Remember now… Don’t go in the water. It’s too cold this time of year and I don’t want you to get sick. I’m just going to go down the shore a ways and then I’ll come back. You’ll be able to see me the whole time though, I promise. ’Kay?”

Aurora shook her head affirmatively.

“’Kay Mama! I’m gonna get some pretty shells for you to make me a necklace!”

Prompto grinned, nodding in understanding and then turned to start jogging down the shore.

Aurora watched him for a few moments before she turned her attention to the sand and plopped down, crossing her legs and starting to pick up the different shells and rocks that drew her eye. She began to hum to herself, examining each item she picked up carefully before making a decision on it.

She had collected one small pile of shells, a separate one of rocks, and a single piece of yellow beach glass when a shadow fell over her, darkening the sand in front of her. She looked up curiously, then became startled as she realized she was not alone.

A barely visible smirk of triumph graced Ardyn’s lips at the little girl’s reaction and he quickly raised a hand to his chest, splaying his fingers over his heart as he gasped in mock regret.

“Oh … I do apologize for frightening you, little one, that was most thoughtless of me.”

Aurora was quickly taken in by the sinister performance and chirped out to him.

“It’s okay! I’m collecting shells! There’s lots of good ones today!”

Ardyn’s lips twitched with suppressed mirth and he made a show of leaning over to take in the pile of shells near Aurora’s right knee.

“Yes I believe you are having quite the good hunt today, aren’t you? Very nice … are they for your mother? He has always had an eye for the beauty of the world around him.” Ardyn’s voice grew harder as he spoke, eyes narrowing as he regarded the oblivious girl sitting by his foot.

Prompto slowed down, coming to a stop shortly after passing his usual landmark and taking a few deep breaths. He rolled his shoulders, then faced back the way he’d come. When he looked down the shoreline, he had to squint a bit to catch sight of Aurora, and he frowned deeply as his eyes found the smudge of color he sought. It was unsettling … he couldn’t make sense of what he was seeing. So he started heading back, keeping his eyes on the strange sight and chewing his lip as he tried to understand the scene. His expression grew more tense by the moment, a heaviness starting to form in his chest as he headed toward where he’d left his daughter. His pace sped up, increasing the further he went until finally his eyes shot wide in alarm. There, the information he’d been seeking. Aurora wasn’t alone.

Her scream cut shrilly through the air a second later as the figure beside her wrapped an arm around her waist and jerked her up into his grasp. Prompto reacted instantly, forcing his body to a frantic pace and then attempting to push beyond it, his feet pounding into the damp sand and leaving craters behind him from the force of each impact. He let out a breathless gasp as Aurora’s cry rang out.

“Mama!”

A flash of light and the telltale blue of Lucian magic erupted at Prompto’s side as he summoned his strongest weapon, Death Penalty, and it sparkled into being, coalescing into his ready hand. He screamed out not a second later.

“Rory! I’m coming! Hang on! Put her down!”

His daughter’s captor turned, a huge smile spreading across his face, absolutely delighted at the young man’s obvious desperation.

“Oh, now… I am merely claiming a discarded tool! As I once did for you, my dear!”

Prompto stumbled at the familiar voice, his eyes shooting wide in terror as the identity of his target was revealed. Ardyn.

He staggered and fought to keep his footing, rendered completely vulnerable from the realization. For several long seconds, he lost speed. His pace began to ramp up once more, smoothing out as he continued down the beach, but all the same, he was tiring at an alarming rate, and he knew that if he lost focus again he’d be unable to recover.

He also knew that when he stopped he’d have very little time to do what he had to before he collapsed.

Ardyn had burst into a delighted peal of laughter as he watched Prompto falter, the man close enough now for Ardyn to watch the way his expression shifted from intense determination to horrific realization. He hadn’t realized that Prompto was unaware of his identity, but he considered the fact a wonderful bonus and seized the opportunity to torment Prompto further, twisting the proverbial knife already lodged deeply in Prompto’s heart.

“Such a face! And your pretty little girl shares it with you! I shall have to see if she can duplicate the expression, I’d so love to see it again!”

Ardyn grinned ever wider and felt a giddiness ripple through him as Prompto shrieked in incoherent rage at his words and the implications of them. He turned then, heading up toward the wooden walkway and to his transportation waiting beyond the rocky cliffs.

Prompto kept moving, his lungs and throat burning with each ragged breath. His legs were growing numb with fatigue and he could feel the tremors that already ravaged him, held at bay only by his continuing motion. His thoughts were a maelstrom. Prompto was simultaneously pleading to whatever Astrals may be watching to let him somehow prevent this from happening while he tried to anticipate all the things that could happen once he reached his target. Overlying all of that was the constantly shifting emotions. Terror and rage were the most dominant among them.

Prompto’s vision was blackening at the edges as he reached the walkway, the view ahead of him blurring briefly before clearing again. He had to slow himself down as he approached it and as he did his body immediately rebelled, his control suddenly cut to near non-existent. He reached out to grab the end of the wooden rail and his knuckles went white as he used his hold to force himself up onto the path, the scant distance feeling like miles.

Ardyn had just disappeared around a curve ahead and Prompto knew he’d be headed up now, ascending the cliff side. He was unaware of the sluggish tears that had begun to stream down his face. He tried to move faster, desperate to find a reserve to carry him forward and help him to reach his goal but it felt impossible. His mouth hung open, slack as he drew each breath at a rasping, slow pace. His footsteps were heavy and haphazard, the sound of them on the wood beneath him beating out a terrible pattern for his ears to pick up. He was dimly aware that his arm hung straight down at his side, the hand wrapped around his gun jerking and trembling violently. He laughed without knowing he did it, unable to stop it as he realized he was still holding his weapon, somehow. He kept moving forward, recovering a bit of strength from his slower pace and he channeled it into speed, slowly beginning to jog. He headed around the curve and up, licking his lips and raising his armed hand as he came upon the next bend. He turned it and stopped cold as a hand slammed into his throat with force and then closed tightly around it. His mouth dropped open as he fought for air, eyes widening as he was lifted off his feet.

“You didn’t think I would leave without letting this precious girl say goodbye to her Ma-ma now did you?”

Ardyn’s dark smirk filled Prompto’s vision as Aurora’s sobbing scream filled his ears. He kicked out feebly but failed to make contact. He tried to lift his hands but the crushing pressure around his neck prevented it. His eyelids fluttered and his lips moved with each strained breath, gasping like a dying fish. He looked at Aurora then, filling his eyes with the sight of her as he began to black out. He tried to tell her that he loved her. That he was sorry. His inability to give her even that much bit deeply and he let his eyes close in despair. Ardyn lifted him higher as he grew more limp, then spoke in his ear, crooning to him in a sickening mockery of comfort.

“Shh … I will take good care of her. You’d have been proud.”

Prompto gave a barely audible moan of grief before Ardyn pulled back and hurled his body over the edge of the walkway and down to the steep, rocky cliff below. Aurora’s screaming filled his ears as he fell, then nothing.

Ardyn watched with satisfaction as the young man hit the cliffside and gave a grunt, then tumbled down the incline, ragdolling in unconsciousness as the rocks gouged and bit into his skin. He continued to watch until Prompto stopped tumbling and lay twisted and motionless at the bottom. Then he hoisted Aurora up higher on his hip and ignored the beating of her fists against his chest as he turned and walked away.

Inside the house, Noctis came downstairs and yawned, blinking drowsily as he looked at Ignis.

“Where’s Prompto?”


End file.
